TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
A victims' advocacy group yesterday urged Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo to testify before an Ohio House panel on Thursday about his opposition to a bill that would extend the deadline for victims of sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators.
Claudia Vercellotti and Barbara Blaine, leaders of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, delivered a letter to the Toledo diocese headquarters yesterday saying that since Bishop Blair has lobbied privately against Senate Bill 17, he should be willing to "face the legislators and answer questions" publicly about the diocese's handling of clerical sexual abuse cases.
Bishop Blair was in Chicago yesterday on an apostolic visit to a seminary and could not be reached for comment, the diocese said. SNAP's letter was accepted by his executive assistant, Terrie Albert.